Leicestershire

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There were "no egos" in the dressing room of Leicester's remarkable Premier League title-winning team, says former captain Wes Morgan.

The Foxes' 5,000-1 title win in 2016 was one of sport's greatest achievements, having pulled off a relegation escape just the season before.

Morgan was a key part of the Foxes' team that helped the side triumph that included goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, midfielder N'Golo Kante and striker Jamie Vardy.

"There were no egos in there - everyone was on a normal level," Morgan told BBC Sport's Nick Mashiter.

"Yes, we had big characters - Schmeichel, Vardy, Riyad Mahrez - but in-house, everyone was 'yeah, we're doing great - there's no pressure on us'. Around the time we beat Manchester City away, that's when I actually thought, 'oh, we could actually do something special.

"But I never felt like we were in a title-winning season.

"When you're so close to that goal, to achieving something no-one thought would be possible, you start off taking things a bit more... I don't want to say seriously because we always take it seriously, but there's a lot more emphasis in making sure we do things right."

Defender Morgan, who made 323 appearances for Leicester, felt the spirit in the side was always "core" to his time at the club.

"We had a solid team that would bond and do a lot of activities off the pitch together and that just made us stronger," he said.

"We had great owners as well. They would take us out. They would offer, if we won the next three out of four games, to take us out for dinner in London and little things like that, just to build that bonding and that togetherness in the team."

Morgan also praised the "superb experience and knowledge" that manager Claudio Ranieri brought to the team to help them get over the line that campaign.

"Claudio was a media favourite because of his one-liners and his character in these interviews," said Morgan. "He would always take the headlines.

"Credit to Claudio, one of the main things he did, which helped us massively, was push that narrative [of not being in the title race].

"He deserves massive credit because that got a lot of pressure off the Leicester boys at that time."

Chris Forryan
Fan writer

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Ant McPartlin once said: "You weren't expecting that were you?"

Well no, I certainly was NOT. Now let's be honest, as priorities go this season, an FA Cup run is not atop Leicester's list. And therein lies the problem for Ruud van Nistelrooy.

Should he he take the opportunity to blood some of the youngsters ready for a potential call-up for the senior squad in the league? They couldn't do any worse than some of the performances the so-called first team have put in this season!

Or should he 'go big or go home' and play the big guns, albeit most of them have been firing blanks all season.

We had recently played Liverpool, Manchester City and Aston Villa - all Champions League sides. While we got no points points from these games, we were not humiliated and in fact we performed well. Were we, perhaps, seeing the green shoots of Ruud's philosophy coming through.

So there was an argument for the Dutchman not to disrupt this and stick with the same players. Well, it worked. He got everything spot on - starting line-up, tactics, substitutions.

Yes, you could argue it was only a Championship side, but this was one who had turned their season round, only losing one of their past six and winning their past two.

They would prove a match for most bottom-half Premier League teams - the type we need to beat if we are to survive.

A shoutout for James Justin as well, our man of the match, but I was left wondering why no yellow ball was used.

The future, unlike the weather on Saturday, is bright. The future is Ruud.

Find more from Chris Forryan at Leicester Till I Die, external

Leicester are set to sign French full-back Woyo Coulibaly from Parma in a £3m deal. (Fabrizio Romano, external)

Meanwhile, the Foxes are open to selling defender Wout Faes at the end of the season to ensure they meet profit and sustainability regulations. (Sky Sports Switzerland - in French, external)

Want more transfer stories? Read Tuesday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

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Premiership champions Larne have brought in forward Harry Panayiotou until the end of the season.

The 30-year-old Saint Kitts and Nevis international played under Larne's head of football Nathan Rooney at Bruno's Magpies before moving to Sirens FC in Malta last year.

Panayiotou began his career at Leicester City and scored the winner against Leeds United on his senior debut in 2012.

Spells at clubs in England, Scotland and Greece followed before he scored 12 goals in 37 appearances for Aldershot Town in the National League in the 2020/21 season.

"It's nice to get the move over the line, I've been speaking to the club for around a week or so and now that we've managed to get the deal over the line I'm buzzing," said Panayiotou, who has netted 12 times in his 38 caps for Saint Kitts and Nevis.

"As a player I'm a forward who can act as a bit of an all-rounder – I can come short but can also play long if required. I'm looking forward to getting the head down in training, getting sharper and hopefully getting some minutes when the Gaffer calls on me."

Panayiotou's international clearance will not come through in time for Tuesday's BetMcLean Cup semi-final against Cliftonville but he will be available to face Glentoran in the Premiership on Saturday.

"I have previously worked with Harrison for a short period of time in the past and I know what he will be able to bring to our group in terms of experience, having played at similar levels in England and Scotland, alongside other leagues in Europe," said Rooney.

"As a player, he possesses good hold-up play for a centre-forward, while also being able to lead the line in terms of pressing really well with an ability to mix up his movements in the box which is something that is vital that our forward line continues to do."

Tasnim Chowdhury
BBC Sport journalist

Leicester City boss Ruud van Nistelrooy has been speaking to the media before Wednesday's Premier League game against Crystal Palace (kick-off 19:30 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• On team news, Van Nistelrooy said there is "no news on injuries". Jannik Vestergaard was part of team training on Monday and Leicester expect him to be in Wednesday's squad.

• On their FA Cup fourth round draw against Manchester United: "I was hoping for a home game against a team in a league below us maybe, or two. But then the first team that got [drawn] out was United and then we were second. It is going to be the third time. It's going to be Manchester United and Leicester in three different competitions so, special. Also special to go back there, that's for sure."

• Leicester have been linked with Parma defender Woyo Coulibaly, but Van Nistelrooy said "we cannot confirm any news on any new player, so let's see how things develop".

• On the transfer window: "The most important thing is from the conversations in December that we've had before I signed – we're aligned with that. It's clear what is possible and what's not. We are aligned and in the process looking to strengthen but it has to be the right one. As I said before it's a responsibility to get the right players in within the possibility so that's the main thing."

• On the pressure as Leicester manager: "The pressure is fantastic. You have to embrace it and be happy to be able to show what you've got as an individual, as a team in these key moments. Every second we're in this league, we have to be ready and happy that we're there and that we're competing, that we can show who we are. It's a fantastic challenge these two home games."

• On whether Leicester are good enough to stay up: "It's not a maybe. I see the characteristics and qualities in players that are there. That is the most important thing. When I first signed, I believed it was possible with this squad to stay in. We need luck. Losing Mads [Hermansen] and Abdul Fatawu were big blows but we have to adjust and find ways. We've shown over the past six weeks that we're making the steps in the right direction to make sure performances get turned into points."

• On Crystal Palace: "A game of football is never the same. I look at their squad, I look at their players and the qualities they have within the team, from back to front and that is a very good Premier League side. We have to be aware of that. Very strong centre-backs and very good wing-backs, players up front that can change the game in a matter of seconds. It's going to be a tough one for us. We want to compete, do well, show what we're about in our way and it's a good challenge for Wednesday."

Follow all of Monday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

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Leicester are unbeaten in their past four Premier League home games against Crystal Palace, with the most recent meeting ending 0-0 in October 2022.

Having won four consecutive Premier League games against Leicester between 2017 and 2019, Palace have won just one of their past nine against the Foxes.

Tom Gayle
Match of the Day commentator at the King Power Stadium

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In the build-up, Saturday had all the ingredients of a 'cupset'.

Leicester were in poor form (five straight defeats), struggling to score and unable to keep goals out. QPR were tough to beat (one loss in 11), and having made a perfect start to 2025 with two wins from two.

Throw in some unrelenting fog and there was understandably a lot of optimism among the near 5,000 travelling supporters.

The reality turned out to be a largely entertaining and enjoyable FA Cup afternoon for the home fans. Given recent results, this was a must win - anything less did not bear thinking about.

Ruud van Nistelrooy told me before the game the strength of the matchday squad he named was both out of respect for the competition, but also the desperate need to bring back the feel-good factor.

After conceding two soft goals against Championship opposition it is clear defensive frailties remain, something which surely needs to be addressed in the January transfer window. However, the Leicester manager will have enjoyed an attacking display that brought 10 goal involvements across seven different players.

The boss told me afterwards: "The overall performance was good - lots of good movement, crosses and finishes".

After what was only his 12th game as a manager in English football, and eighth at Leicester, the Dutchman was also keen to stress how he has been in charge for only "six weeks".

While reassured his side are moving in the right direction, they are far from the finished article, adding: "Our game play, game model and identity is coming on, little by little."

While many will insist Leicester are supposed to beat a Championship outfit, full-back James Justin said the result delivered "a massive boost" ahead of Wednesday's home game against Crystal Palace.

He was level-headed enough to admit "there is lots to work on" but felt the game was a much needed "confidence booster" in what he hopes could be a "big week" for the squad.

Justin's comments relate to results on the pitch, but there are off-field matters that also mean it will be a significant few days for the club. BBC Radio Leicester's understanding is that on Tuesday the Premier League will notify those who have breached profitability and sustainability rules (PSR) within their 2023-24 accounts.

Should Leicester be found to have complied with PSR then I would expect a swift resolution towards Van Nistelrooy's desire to "strengthen" the squad during the January transfer window, and provide even greater optimism they can drag themselves back up the Premier League table.

However, if they were found to have breached PSR - with the possibility of a points deduction as punishment - the already uphill challenge of remaining within the division, may then become insurmountable.

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We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's FA Cup game between Leicester City and Queens Park Rangers.

Here are some of your comments:

James: Far from vintage Leicester, but job done relatively comfortably and a 'cupset' avoided. Despite the fog, it was clear for all to see that QPR were not there to be walked over and gave us a good scare. The apparent Premier League quality did shine through in the end. Defensive frailties remain and could be seen through the murky conditions, so the transfer priorities remain unchanged. Get on with it Ruud!

Kiran: Although we won, they made two mistakes again. They didn't make any difference, but in a Premier League game would have cost us. These mistakes must be cut out.

Martyn: Great to see a higher press and more goalscorers. I have never understood why we do not shoot from outside the area more often? Facundo Buonanotte must retain his place now.

Ian: How can they play like this in a cup match and not play with this much passion in the league? Pull your finger out or it's back down in May.

Geoff: A lot better but still no clean sheet. One thing for certain is to get Tom Cannon back who scored again [for Stoke] and sell Patson Daka if we can. He has shown no progress over the past three years.

The draw for the FA Cup fourth round has been made. Here is a list of all the ties involving Premier League teams in the order they were drawn.

Games will be played over the weekend of 8 February.

• Manchester United v Leicester

• Brighton v Chelsea

• Exeter v Nottingham Forest

• Coventry v Ipswich

• Blackburn v Wolves

• Mansfield/Wigan v Fulham

• Birmingham v Newcastle

• Plymouth v Liverpool

• Everton v Bournemouth

• Aston Villa v Tottenham

• Southampton v Burnley

• Leyton Orient/Derby v Manchester City

• Doncaster v Crystal Palace

See the full draw

The latest episode of the When You're Smiling podcast has landed.

BBC Radio Leicester's Jack Rafferty is joined by Michael Appleton to analyse Leicester's convincing victory against QPR on Saturday.

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds